The epistemology of health care improvement studies

Dr Raphael Scholl
Area of study
MethodsFellowship level
OtherYear awarded
2020Host university
Department of History and Philosophy of ScienceUniversity of Cambridge
Background
It has proved remarkably difficult to assess the general effectiveness of popular methodologies for improving the quality, efficiency, safety, and affordability of medical care. Interventions that prove successful in one setting often fail in others. The aim of this project is to give a philosophical account of the causes of such failures of extrapolation, and to enquire into the conditions for successful extrapolation.
Approach
This project will rely on resources from the philosophy of science and from recent philosophy of medicine.